


Roncevaux

by yorkisms



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Flash Fic, Gen, Ships are not the focus but are present
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:47:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26137606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yorkisms/pseuds/yorkisms
Summary: The final few days of the original four being a four, and not a three-and-missing-one. (Or, the tragedy of Roland.)
Relationships: Brick & Roland (Borderlands), Brick/Mordecai (Borderlands), Lilith/Roland (Borderlands), Roland & Lilith & Mordecai & Brick
Comments: 3
Kudos: 10





	Roncevaux

**Author's Note:**

> This is tangentially in the same universe as [my Siren!Gaige fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25857259) but it isn't actually legally connected to that in any way further than the staging of the Control Core Angel scene and can be read independently. 
> 
> As a certified literature nerd, I challenged myself to write something about this scene and about the original vault hunters that draws a parallel between Roland, the BL character, and the medieval french epic tragedy _The Song of Roland._ So I flash-ficced this late at night. I have class tomorrow and I can't sleep until I post this.

They've had their spats with Roland, each and every one of them, but right now, they have nothing to say but apologies. 

They're days away from the biggest moment of their lives, apart from when they fought the destroyer, and they're all sitting in the same room for the first time in a while. Roland is staring at the table, and they're all painfully quiet. It's not like the first time, where they would be cracking jokes and feeling totally invincible up against the Crimson Lance. 

Roland speaks first. 

"I'm sorry." He takes a tense breath, still looking at the battle plans. He's never been good with emotions, and they all used to find it kind of endearing. Especially Lilith. 

"You don't have to," Brick starts. "I didn't tell-" 

"That was the deal, we weren't telling." 

"Telling what," Mordecai says, confused. He sits up slightly. 

"You and Lilith have both been disgusted with me since I evicted Brick after New Haven." 

"Yeah, because it was a dick move," Lilith replies, always being one of their plainest speakers. Roland holds up a hand. 

"I didn't evict him." 

Mordecai flicks his eyes to Brick, who looks slightly ashamed of himself. 

"I left cause I wanted to. It was Ro's idea to fake a fight so that Jack wouldn't think I was still with you guys." 

"And you weren't," Lilith says, "He wasn't letting you within a hundred miles of Sanctuary-" 

"Because I told him not to," Brick corrects. "We had to make it real." 

"And you didn't tell us," Mordecai snaps, crushing a can of soda in his hand. "Who the fuck do you think you two are? _Dime eso!_ " 

"You remember what things were like after New Haven," Roland snaps right back, willing to apologize but not willing to cede ground on the idea that they did the right thing. "Brick was in a dark place. He needed time away. If I had a choice on who to send to the Cuts I wouldn't have called him back at all." 

"That's fair." 

"And what about that talk after," Lilith demands. "About him being dangerous?" 

"Do you think I learned nothing from Shep, Lilith?" Roland asks tiredly. "Do you think I'm a fool? They are watching us. If I had sent him out with a handshake and a fucking service medal Jack would have come harder and you know it." Roland clenches his jaw as he grits out the next words. "And tortured him worse." 

" _Ay,_ " Mordecai curses to himself, dragging a hand down his face. "Lil, maybe we're the stupid ones." 

"But why," Lilith says to Roland, voice weak. "Why didn't you tell us?" 

"I didn't want-" 

"You didn't trust us," Lilith finishes. "Ro, you were absolutely fucking right about what to do but fuck you for not telling us." 

"I regret that, okay?" Roland shoots back, standing up off the table. "I wanted to clear the air because I was already pretty aware not taking you two aside was a mistake." 

"I thought you sent me out to Tundra Express just to keep me from bitching you out about your bad decisions!" 

"I thought you sent him out there for the same reason!" 

"What? No, I just wanted someone I trust watching out for Tina." 

"IT WAS SERIOUSLY ABOUT TINA?" Mordecai curses, throwing up his hands. "Fuck's sake, why the fuck don't we ever talk first and act later!" 

"Not good at it?" Brick comments. 

"Yeah, no kidding!" 

"We're not going to get back to the way things were before Jack came to Pandora," Roland says, "But going forward, I want us to be on the same page about the fight. Can we agree on that?" 

Brick flashes a thumbs-up immediately. "Done." 

"Aye," Mordecai agrees a few minutes later. 

"Lily?" 

"I missed you idiots," Lilith says, and she lets Brick crush her bones in a massive hug. 

\-- 

_"What's it mean, anyway?"_

_"Hm?"_

_"Your name. We all know that Lilith was the mother of demons or whatever, which makes my name pretty fucking kickass, there's some other biblical shit for Mordecai, and Brick's pretty obvious. I'm curious."_

_"Is this one of your new hobbies, Lilith?"_

_"You're ducking the question."_

_A long pause follows, as he thinks of an answer._

_"I was always told I was named after a hero."_

\-- 

"Lilith, this isn't negotiable. You're not coming." 

"You can't be serious-" 

"She was explicit. You stay here." 

"And you believe her? You saw where that got us, right?" 

"Brick will be backing me up," Roland says, and Brick nods in confirmation. 

"I won't let him outta my sight, Lily." 

"This isn't fucking fair!" 

"I need you and Mordecai watching Sanctuary," Roland replies firmly, shutting down all debate. "She sounded serious when she spoke to me. And she's been good on her word nine times out of ten. I'm not going to take the risk that this is the one time we shouldn't." 

"If you die, I'm going to kill you," Lilith says, voice raw. One of the vault hunters pokes their head in. She's only half-tied her hair up, and she looks concerned. 

"We have to get going soon?" 

"In a sec, Gaige," Brick calls. The kid looks somewhat affirmed by that before tying up her hair and ducking back out. Brick almost follows her, but stops, gesturing for Mordecai to come with him so they can leave Lilith and Roland alone. 

Lilith looks him in the eye, and he thinks he's never seen someone look quite so vulnerable- especially not Lilith. 

"I love you." 

"I love you too," is what he says. "I'll be back before you know it." 

He leaves after that. Lilith doesn't listen to orders, though, not even from one of the few people she loves. 

\-- 

_"Come on," Roland says, as he and Lilith lift Mordecai between them. New Haven is burning to the ground around them. Brick is facing down the Sheriff of Lynchwood to cover their escape. They don't know it yet, but he's already lost. Roland huffs as he tries to get them out of there. Lilith grunts with strain._

**_"I'm not a fan of martyrdom."_ **

\-- 

The passage up to Control Core Angel is rocky. There's mountains. Roland climbs it himself. And when he gets there, Lilith is already waiting. He glares at her, and she smirks. 

"Take it up with me later, hot stuff." 

"Stay here," he insists, before rushing ahead to the core. 

"Roland!" Gaige calls, from the center platform. Roland looks around, before Maya runs up to him. 

"We need your help." 

"Holy shit," he says softly, as the Guardian Angel- Angel glances towards him. She speaks to him quietly through his ECHO. 

_Hello, Roland. Please, don't tell the others we're talking- I'll help you take down the injectors. Just follow my lead._

He nods to her, and she settles into a seated position across from Gaige, the two of them only separated by a force field. 

_I wanted a chance to apologize for everything._

Roland starts running to the places that Angel causes his echo to indicate. He gets to work as soon as possible, mumbling a reply under his breath. 

"You don't have to apologize." 

_Please take my apologies back to the others,_ Angel thinks. Roland opens the force field on one of the injectors. 

"NOW!" 

_Tell Mordecai, Brick, and Lilith that I'm sorry, please. And that I loved you all. You were the first real family I ever had._

"I'll tell them." 

_Tell Gaige that I'm sorry it had to break down this way,_ Angel continues. _If you could all take care of her when I'm gone-_

"We will," he promises, before pulling the second injector. "MAYA! SHOOT!" 

_And- oh no, no, no- dammit!_

Roland thinks he's going to figure a way to get to the third injector, and he's going to do it alone, but Lilith joins him even though he told her not to come. 

"Need a lift, handsome?" 

"We're talking about this later," Roland gripes, but he accepts her help to finish the fight. He looks down at the battlefield, and the least occupied is- "Zer0! TAKE THE DAMN SHOT!" 

It's over then and there. 

_Get Lilith home safely. Tell them I'm sorry. Take care of Gaige. And thank you, Roland._

Roland nods quietly as Gaige shares Angel's dying moments. 

"What kind of man would do this to his daughter," Lilith asks, voice choked.

"The kind of man who deserves to die." 

\-- 

_"Gaige, get up," Maya whispers, lifting the mechromancer to her feet. "The boss is gonna tell us where we go now."_

_"I don't wanna."_

_"Gaige. It's okay, it's okay. She chose this. And she loved you, okay? Now we have to make her sacrifice worth it. Stand up for me and listen to the plan."_

_"Okay, boss. I got it- I got it. Just let me- just, let me take her home when we're done."_

_"That's fine. Now get up. The fight's not over."_

\-- 

Lilith looked it up while she was recovering from the events in the warrior's vault. 

Roland had been right, he really was named after a hero. She sobs onto the pages of her echo-book, and writes down the words. 

The statue they got to commemorate him only somewhat captures the full nature of his face, which she knew so well, every line and muscle. Lilith pulls out her ECHO the day they reveal it, and says a few words. 

She tried a hundred times to write out everything she herself wanted to say, but all she has is this quote from an ancient book that she can manage without tears in front of the legacy he left her. 

Lilith looks down at her ECHO, and then speaks. 

**Author's Note:**

> _He held out his right glove to God, and St. Gabriel took it from his hand. His head was resting on his arm and his hands were clasped, and thus he went to his end. God sent down his angel Cherubim...with them came St. Gabriel, and they carry the soul of Roland to Paradise._   
>  _177\. Roland is dead, God has his soul in heaven. The ~~emperor~~ empress arrives at Roncevaux- there is not a road, not a path, not an ell nor a square foot of free ground for the dead are lying on it._   
>  [My Tumblr](http://maggie-wittington.tumblr.com)


End file.
